Improvement in breech-loading ordnance



2 Sheets-Sheet l.

L. W. BROADWELL.

Breech-loading Ordnance.

Patent-ed Dec. 10, 1861.

Inventor;

.m M v. 3?

NITE STATES PATENT FFiCE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,876, dated December10, 1861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS WELLs BROAD- WELL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, at present residing in St. Petersburg, in the Empire of Russia,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Breech-Loading Ordnance;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification, in which- I Figure 1 is acentral longitudinal vertical section of a cannon with my improvement.Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of thesame close in front of the sliding breech-block. Fig. 4 is a side viewof the sliding breech -block detached from the gun. Fig. 5 is a centralsection ofthe gas-ring. Fig. 6 exhibits a central vertical section ofthe breecl1,illustrating a modification of my invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention relates to the employment for opening and closing thebreech of a piece of ordnance of a sliding breech-block having amovement perpendicular to the bore of the piece; and it consists in animproved mode of producing the movement of the said breechblock.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention,I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

In applying the invention the bore of the gun is continued right throughthe breech, and a mortise a a I) Z; is cut for the reception of thesliding breech-block B. The mouth of this mortise is on the upper sideof the gun. The front portion 1) h is wider than the back portion a a,as shown in Fig. 2, and may eX- tend right through the gun; but thenarrower back portion a a should terminate in the lower side of thebore, that the bottom of that portion may serve as a stop to prevent thebreechblock B from being forced too far or too tightly into the mortise.The sides or ends of the mortise which are toward the sides of the gunare parallel; but the front and back are very slightly inclined towardeach other toward the bottom.

The breech-block B is made of a form to fit the mortise, and isconsequently slightly tapered in adownward direction. In the front faceof the said block there is provided a circular cavity c, of largerdiameter than the borecharge of the gun is fired, the gas entering.

the cavity 0 gets behind the ring 61 and forces it forward against theportion of the front of the mortise surrounding the bore, and soprevents the escape of gas at the breech of the gun.

The portion 6 of the bore of the gun behind the mortise is made slightlylarger than the portion in front of it to facilitate the loading of thegun when the breeclrblock is raised to the proper position.

In constructing new guns for the application of my invention I proposeto provide a sufficient thickness of metal at the breech, as shown inFig. 6, to allow the opening move- I ment of the breech-block to beeffected without its projecting above the gun itself, and to close themortise at the top and bottom by means of either hinged or slidingshuttersff for the exclusion of dust.

The means employed to raise and lower the breech-block consist of atransverse shaft 9, having two arms h h, which are connected with thebreech-block by means of two links '5 iand pinsjj and 7c. The shaft 9 isarranged in rear of the mortise which contains the breech-block and justabove the portion e of the bore,where suitable bearings are provided forit in the solid metal of the gun. The arms h h are firmly secured to theshaft, and they, with the links t' i, work in narrow mortises Z Z,provided for them in the back part of the breech-block. The pin 713,which attaches the links to the breech-block, passes right through thesaid block. No part of the shaft g projects from the gun; but a squareis formed on oneend,andthecannonis countersunkaround that end for thereception of a lever m, which is put on the shaft only when the breechis to be operated.

The operationi. 6., the opening and closing of the breech-is effected bymerely turning the shaft to the extent of about a quarterrevolution. Inthis operation the arms h h and links 2 i operate as a toggle. When theblock is raised up entirely above the bore and \Vhat I claim as myinvention, and desire the breech is open for the reception of the tosecure by Letters Patent, is"

load, the arms and links are in line With each The empl0yment,forelevating and depressother, as shown in dotted outline inFig.1,and ingthe breech-block B for opening and closwhen it is closed they assume theposition ining the breech, of a shaft g, arms h h, and

dicated in bold outline in the same figure. links i 7;, the wholecombined, arranged, and Vhen the gun is constructed as shown inoperating substantially as herein specified. Fig. 6, the breech and allits operating mech- LE'WIS WELLS BROADXVELL. anisin are kept entirelyWithin the gun, even Witnesses:

when the breech is open, and the Whole is pro A. G. GOODALL,

tected from dust and from the Weather. \V. M. VVINANS.

